Albuquerque Musician

Mozart and Carbon Fiber

2011-07-05T12:52:00.001-07:00

It's been an awfully long time since I've posted here, but the inspiration has struck once again! On July 30, I'll be performing one of the solo parts of Mozart's famous Sinfonia Concertante for violin and viola, K. 364 (or, K. 320d if you follow the revisionists). This has long been one of my favorite pieces of music and indeed, I've many times concluded that this is among Mozart's best works of all. David Felberg will handle the solo violin duties, and I'm really thrilled to be performing with David. No only is he a terrific musician and violinists, he and I have been friends since college at the University of Arizona in the late 1980s. And we're both from Albuquerque.

So here's the twist! Since December, I've been playing on a Luis and Clark carbon fiber viol a. Their #34, to be exact. I purchased this instrument used, and have spent a fair amount of time and effort making it as good as it can be. I replaced the metal tailpiece with one of boxwood. I added my own chin rest - one that was made for me in the '80s by the Old World Violins shop in Albuquerque (it's long gone). The strings are now Warchal Brilliant A, G and C, and Obligato D. I will probably go with all Obligato, with a Warchal or Evah Pirazzi synthetic A at some point. Steel A strings don't tend to sound so great on this thing. Here are some photos, taken prior to the final tailpiece, chinrest and strings.

So, now that I've done all these things, how does it sound? In a word: spectacular. I've never played a viola that produces such a huge, penetrating sound with so little effort. It's loud. It is a tad bright sounding, and has a certain edge to the sound, especially up close. But from a distance, it is unmistakably a "viola sound" and just huge. I'm really enjoying that part of it - it is rare to play a viola, of any vintage or price, that can compete with the L & C in this regard.

It's also a conversation magnet, since it is so rare to see a stringed instrument that is A) black, B) really shiny, and C) up close it is clearly different than anything else. After just about every concert I've played in the past six months, people have approached me afterwards to ask about it.

So on July 30th, 2011, in Keller Hall at UNM, 7:30 PM, it will be a Luis and Clark carbon fiber viola along side a J. B. Vuillaume violin, in the hands of two Albuquerque natives, playing one of Mozart's best compositions. Accompanying us will be the Albuquerque Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra, under the direction of another Albuquerque native, Maestro David Chavez. Be there if you can, and let me know what you think of the new viola.

Lo and Behold - Delta's response was an automated form letter

2009-11-29T19:29:00.001-08:00

You probably already guessed that the response I received from Delta/Northwest Airlines was an automated "bot" form letter... something about the response was fishy, but I chalked it up to being a boiler plate letter with a few things in there to personalize it. So imagine my surprise when, after sending my counter-response, I received exactly the same letter again! Word for word. Clearly, no one is reading these letters at Delta/NWA Airlines. There is simply a computer that kicks out a "response" letter no matter what you write.

My next step is to try and find an actual address for them and send an actual letter. I don't know if it will do any good but I'm going to try. Wish me luck.

Related to this, I ran across this interesting post about Delta/Northwest:

http://sank63.wordpress.com/2009/11/29/at-least-buy-me-a-drink/#comment-2090

Delta Responds

2009-11-25T07:49:00.000-08:00

I suppose it was partially due to the specter of having this episode exposed on a blog that finally got Delta to respond to my letter from a month ago. Here is there response and below it is my reply.

***

November 25, 2009

Dear Mr. Winkler,

Thank you for sharing your concerns regarding the service provided while traveling with us. On behalf of everyone at Delta Air Lines, I sincerely apologize for the stress and inconvenience you experienced.

I realize the inconvenience you were caused. We know travelers need an airline they can count on, and I recognize how upsetting it is when plans are disrupted. Feedback like you have provided will help us to improve our overall customer experience.

Our goal is to surpass our customer?s expectations every day. We appreciate your kind comments and will continue to work hard to provide superior service. Be assured we take our commitment to serving you veryseriously. Your feelings are important to us, and I have shared your comments with the responsible leadership team.

I regret the inconvenience you were caused with your checked baggage. Like you, we certainly wish that instances of mishandled bags never occurred. Please know I will be sharing your comments with our Airport Customer Service leadership team. Your feedback is valued and we thank you for taking the time to bring this disappointing experience to our attention.

While we would like to offer special consideration in cases such as yours, we are unable to honor the many requests that we receive from others in similar situations. We follow a consistent policy to ensure that Delta is fair to everyone who travels with us. Accordingly, we must respectfully decline your request. I am truly sorry to disappoint you, as I am sure this is not the answer you expected.

Mr. Winkler, your business is important to us and given the opportunity of serving you in the future, I am confident Delta will not only meet but exceed your expectations.

Sincerely,

John M. Smith
Coordinator
Customer Care

***

My response:

November 25, 2009

Dear Mr. Smith,

Thank you for replying to my letter although I find it interesting that I did not hear from you earlier. Actually, this is approximately the response I expected. I think we are now well into the era when companies like yours do not take responsibility for your actions. I understand that you must have a policy on such matters and that you must be consistent. But if you are not taking steps towards ensuring that A) this kind of thing does not happen and B) if it does, your customers are taken care of, then you will continue to lose customers and ultimately you will go out of business.

I suspect that if you made the decision to properly compensate those that have been wronged in the way that I was, you would A) see the need to take concrete steps to avoid such costs in the first place and B) end up developing a more loyal customer base. It has been proven that customers are more loyal to a company when something goes wrong but the company "takes care of them" vs. when nothing goes wrong in the first place.

All of this, to me, is another example of why it is so critical that each merger or acquisition is carefully scrutinized before it is allowed to take place. Once companies, like Delta, become so large that there are few alternatives for their customers, they will act as Delta has acted in this case - without "doing the right thing". There are many things that you could learn from your competitors like Korean Air (trans-pacific) and Southwest Airlines (domestic). They "get it" from my point of view, and Delta does not. You are not alone. United is even worse, in my experience, and American is not far behind.

Sincerely,

Karl Winkler

A month so far and still no reply.

2009-11-24T15:28:00.000-08:00

I sent another note to Delta Airlines today to let them know that it has been a month since my original complaint and I still have not received a reply. I let them know that I plan to continue posting about it here until we reach a resolution, whatever that means.

Delta Northwest Airlines... No Response

2009-11-12T10:34:00.001-08:00

Recently, I went to Japan on a business trip. On my return, I flew NWA/Delta from Tokyo to LAX Los Angeles, then had a connection from there back to Albuquerque. The flight from Tokyo Narita was delayed by 2.5 hours without any explanation, and thus I missed my connecting flight home and had to spend additional money and several hours of waiting at LAX. Below is the letter I sent to Delta/Northwest.

I used their web form to send the letter, and carefully filled in the flight number, ticket number, confirmation number, and all the other required details.

I have yet to receive a reply.

***
October 28, 2009
RE: NW Flight 2
Dear Delta/Northwest Airlines

Much about this flight was fine, including professional flight attendants, food, entertainment, and the flight itself, but I wanted to comment on some specific issues.

1. The flight was delayed in departing by 2.5 hours. This flight and one other Delta/NW flight were the only two on the entire board at Tokyo Narita that were delayed. No reason was given for the delay.

2. Several announcements were made that "if you miss your connecting flight in Los Angeles, please go to a Delta or Northwest customer service agent to be re-routed to your destination."

3. Despite having a planned 3-hour layover in LAX, I missed my connecting flight on another airline. Part of the reason for this, beyond arriving more than 2 hours late, was that baggage was very slow to be delivered to baggage claim. I waited quite some time for my bag. One thing to note is that bags went onto two separate carousels (one for Delta, one for Northwest) and this was not clear to the passengers, causing confusion and costing time.

4. Once I had my bag and cleared customs, I approached the Delta/NW ticket counter, as instructed, for help in getting home to Albuquerque. I was told that because my connecting flight was on another carrier, that I was out of luck. As mentioned above, the announcements about this did not state "IF your connecting flight is on Delta/NW...." only that we should go to the Delta/NW ticket counter if we missed our connections.

5. To get home, I had to pay a $116 up-charge with my carrier, and spend several extra hours at LAX. The receipt for this is available on request - I can email, fax or mail a copy if needed.

Although I'm sure you have a specific policy about this, I don't think this is right, and I don't think Delta/NW did a good job at all of communicating with me or other passengers. I am requesting to be reimbursed for this extra cost of $116. Not in a travel voucher, please. This was money out of my company's pocket.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Karl Winkler

APO Chamber Concert, Bach, Mozart, Hindemith

2008-07-09T12:43:00.000-07:00

On July 25th and 29th, the APO Chamber Orchestra will be providing two concerts of great classical music. The first concert, on Friday, July 25, at 7:30 PM will be held at UNM's Keller Hall, and will feature David Felberg, conductor and Joel Scott, horn soloist. On the program is Respighi's Ancient Airs and Dances Suite #3, Mozart's Concerto No 3 for Horn, and also his Gran Partita in B flat. This last piece was featured prominently in the movie Amadeus in the scene where Salieri first encounters the adult Mozart. Regarding the horn concerto, Joel is a tremendous horn player who has played with the APO for many years both as an orchestral musician but also in various chamber ensembles. You might have even caught his playing in the NMSO. Don't miss this one!

The second concert will be on Sunday, July 27th at 2:00 PM at the African-American Cultural Center on the Expo NM grounds (Fairgrounds)and features David Felberg, conductor, Jacqueline Zander-Wall, mezzo-soprano and Karl Winkler (me), viola. On the program is Bach's Orchestral Suite No. 3 (includes the famous "Air"), Hindemith's Trauermusik for solo viola and Strings, Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 and his Cantata BWV 170 Vergnugte Ruh, beliebte Seelenlust. This is some great music, especially if you love Bach. The inclusion of the Hindemith is due to the last part being based around a Bach chorale. And for those of you who have already heard Jacqueline Zander-Wall (such as in the Habanera from Carmen at our Opera concert earlier this year) you already know what a great singer she is. For those who have never heard her, you're in for a treat!

Hypermiling - this is something new?

2008-06-12T12:20:00.000-07:00

I've just started catching on to the fact that a new trend is emerging due to the ever-increasing cost of gasoline. Now we're at $4 a gallon and I can't imagine how it will come down any time soon if ever.

So there's this story on ABC News about "hypermilers" - people who, by altering their driving behaviors, are improving the MPG of their cars to above the original EPA ratings for the cars.

I had actually first noticed this some months ago on a forum called Clean MPG. Members there discuss their approaches to improving mileage, and tout their results.

There is a lot of good info in these sources. But what surprised me most was that I had discovered most of these techniques, and even some that they don't mention, independently over the years.

I think it started when I got a used 1996 BMW 328i. One of the features I found most interesting was the "MPG" gauge on the dash board, right under the speedometer. It was easy to see how driving habits would affect this gauge - being stopped would register zero MPH and acceleration would yield low numbers. But cruising along at a constant speed, especially if it was a moderate speed, would yield something like 40MPH, which is pretty good for a 2.8L six-cylinder car putting out 190BPH.

Then, the second feature of that car that I began to learn about was the trip computer. This system would calculate the average speed, MPH, the amount of miles left on the current tank of gas. With these tools, I started to learn how to drive more efficiently. And if anything were wrong with the car, i.e. low tire pressure, bad gas, engine not running right, etc. I could immediately see a reduction in mileage.

Here are the main things I learned to do to get more MPG (some are already mentioned above, some are not):

1. Slow down. Driving too fast, i.e. more than the optimum speed to get the best MPG will definitely eat gas. On the highway, there is not much difference in MPG between 45 and 65 for most cars. But faster than that and wind resistance, and having the engine at higher RPMs begins to cut into efficiency.
2. Accelerate slowly. Gunning the car from a stop - remember physics here - is applying the max energy to get the car moving when it doesn't want to (inertia). Slow careful acceleration is better, although it should be practiced within reason especially if there are cars behind you.
3. Try not to stop, if possible. Stopping and starting rob the most MPG from your car than anything else. Starting (see above) takes a lot of energy, and stopping just turns forward momentum into heat (brakes).
4. Make sure you have good, clean oil in your engine, and the right amount of air pressure in your tires. In fact, you may want to inflate the tires closer to their cold max than you normally would. This decreases rolling resistance.
5. Coast down hills in neutral, especially if you can maintain an appropriate speed for that road. I don't advocate turning off your engine because you will lose power steering, and reduce lubrication to drive train components in some cases.
6. Fill up in the morning, so that your car and the gas is at a lower temperature (slightly more dense). Fill up on the first (slow) notch on the pump.
7. Time the stoplights on your route to figure out if there are relationships between lights - this can often help you arrive at intersections when the lights are green, rather than having to stop every time. I've noticed that here in Albuquerque, every once in a while, the light timings change. Not sure why, but I suspect that city engineers are experimenting with traffic flow based on light timings.
8. Choose routes that have the least stops. This may actually take you farther, but the reduction in consumption by not having to stop and start as many times may outweigh the increased distance. Plus, you won't be wearing out your brakes as quickly, either.
9. Choose routes that have as few left turns as possible. There is a lot less waiting to turn right than waiting to turn left.
10. Always hug the inside of the curve, or take the inner lane around a curve. This means that you actually go less distance since the smaller radius means smaller circumference. Although this does not show as increased MPG, it adds up slightly over time to less actual distance traveled. As with slow acceleration, be careful not to weave in and out of lanes with other cars around.

With these techniques, I've been able to consistently get 30MPG out of a car that is rated 22 city, 29 highway, has 6 cylinders with 225BPH, weighs 3800 lbs, and is a full size, four door sedan. On the round trip to Taos a few weekends ago, I got 34.5 MPG out of a tank of gas. Sure, 40, 50 or more MPG would be better. I bet you can get those kinds of figures out of smaller, 4 cylinder cars with EPA est. 25 city, 35 Hwy ratings. Give it a try!

Wedding Season!!

2008-06-05T08:00:00.001-07:00

We've got quartet and trio engagements to keep us very busy for the next couple of weeks. We're at the Albuquerque Museum of Art, Hotel Albuquerque, up in Cerrillos, and at the Immaculate Conception Church this weekend. Maybe we'll see you at one of these weddings! If so, please say hello.

Made it Through the Mozart

2008-05-22T07:12:00.000-07:00

On Sunday the 18th, our quartet, with Carolyn Anderson on flute, performed the outer two movements of the Mozart Flute Quartet K. 285 in D Major. The APO Chamber Music Concert was quite long (some groups did not adhere to the max time of 10 minutes...) and we were last on the program. The first movement went very well - great tempo, and I think we had some nice musical moments in there. We stuck well together despite not getting a chance to rehearse in the church - and the acoustics there are very wet. The last movement started out great, but rapidly sped up to a tempo that was barely manageable. For my part, I did try to pull the tempo back down a tad when I had 8th notes... but to no avail. My 16th passages were very tough at that tempo and I was not quite on top of it as I would have liked to be. Nevertheless, it was an exciting performance and I think the audience appreciated us, and the other groups as well.

Concerts tomorrow and Sunday

2008-05-08T07:32:00.000-07:00

The last concert series of the APO season is upon us! We had our final dress rehearsal last night, and I must say, there is some good music happening here. The guitar soloist sounds fantastic, and the 2nd movement of the Rodrigo is just gorgeous. Bolero now has a very nice, slow ramp up to the climax along with a super-steady temp. And the Beethoven. What can I say about such a great piece of music? I did not know it very well before we started rehearsing it, and I had never played it before. Now, only the 9th remains as the sole Beethoven Symphony that I have not played. The 3rd is a monumental work and will test everyone's ability to concentrate for 45 minutes! It is a symphonic tour de force, and will challenge the listeners.

Concert #1 - Friday, May 9th at the First United Methodist Church, downtown Albuquerque, at 7:30 PM. This is a great location for a concert, with wonderful acoustics and an excellent visual setting.

Concert #2 - Sunday, May 11th at the Kimo Theater, downtown Albuquerque, at 7:30 PM. Need I say more about the Kimo? It's one of Albuquerque's treasures.

I hope to see you there.

Mozart Flute Quartet K. 285

2008-04-23T11:01:00.000-07:00

For this year's APO Chamber Music concert, my quartet will be tackling the first movement of the Mozart Quartet for Flute and Strings in D Major K.285. It's a lovely piece with great material for all four of the players. Our group will be made up of Carolyn Anderson on Flute, Catherine Castro on Violin, me on Viola and Richard Strauss on Cello. Carolyn played the Mozart Concerto for Flute and Harp together with Anne Eisfeller of the NMSO during our last season, and it was just terrific! So we're excited about playing some chamber music with her.

The concert starts at 2:00 PM on Sunday, May 18th, and will be held at St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church, 601 Montano NW. It's free, so come by for an afternoon of good music with a bunch of different chamber music groups from the APO.

See you there!

Potato Cannon Spug Gun Project (not music related)

2008-04-21T09:54:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago after watching some videos on YouTube, I decided to jump in and make my own potato cannon (often called a spud gun). Basically, these things are low-tech muzzle-loading guns made from PVC or ABS plastic pipe. My first one had a 1-1/2" bore, 4 ft. barrel, and a 3" chamber that was 18" long. I've learned that the "ideal" ratio of chamber to barrel volume is 1.5:1 to maximize muzzle velocity for the projectile (potato). I've also learned that one of the more common fuels, hair spray, is far from ideal. For one thing, it takes more of it to get the appropriate "bang". Also, it smells awful after burning and leaves a sticky residue that can gunk up your gun over time.

A aerosol product that I remembered as being very flammable proved to be much superior to hair spray: Static Guard. The smell after ignition is not great, but it beats hair spray. Others have reported that Axe deodorant also works well. I'm interested to try white gas (pure gasoline used for camping stoves) sprayed from a mister. One common mistake I see a lot on forums, YouTube and elsewhere is the use of too much fuel. It really takes very little, and you need a lot of air for the fuel to properly burn. I spray Static Guard for about a half second - that's all it takes even for a large gun like my second one.

So here's a video of some construction details and also the results...

UPDATE!

I've just learned that the ATF considers suppressors, even on spud guns, ILLEGAL. So I'll be dismantling mine...

Rodrigo Concerto

2008-04-08T12:31:00.000-07:00

For the APO concerts in May, we will be performing Ravel's Bolero and Beethoven's 3rd Symphony, as mentioned in an earlier post. In addition, we'll be playing Rodrigo's Concerto de Aranjuez, with soloist Jeremy Mayne on classical guitar. Last night at rehearsal, we read the orchestra part for this piece, and it's really charming. I listened to a recording this morning and was reminded how distinctive, original, and musical it is. What a great piece! And as a string player, the big string part in the 2nd half of the Adagio (2nd movement) is a real treat.

Giovanni Quartet Smashes Priceless Instruments!

2008-04-01T06:46:00.001-07:00

The Giovanni String Quartet, an ensemble made up of members of the Albuquerque Philharmonic Orchestra, recently began thrilling audiences by smashing their instruments at the end of their performances. “We realized that just about everyone has heard the exciting, but well-known standard endings found in the great chamber music from Beethoven to Tchaikovsky” states Karl Winkler, violist with the quartet. “But for greater impact, we decided to smash our instruments after the last note of each concert.” Apparently, this has gone over well with their fans, if measured by the rock-concert type of response now achieved by the Giovanni Quartet.

Inspired by the PBS promotion to “Be More Passionate” in which a mock chamber music ensemble destroys their instruments in a fake concert, Winkler described: “We’re very passionate as well. So it made sense for us to do that kind of an outrageous thing!” The only problem, according to Winkler is the escalating cost to the group of smashing fine violins, violas and cellos. “We’ve had to increase our rates substantially since including this element in our performances and we’ve had to re-negotiate our insurance. And this is without even getting to the Strads and Guarneris! At least we can still re-use the strings.”

Not all promoters have been willing to pony up to the new rates for the Giovanni. However, the venues that have hired the quartet have been pleased with the ticket sales. Jane Doe, a concert promoter in Santa Fe, New Mexico, added “You can’t believe how much of a following they have. I’ve never seen fans like that for classical chamber music.” Violin collectors also appear to be enamored of the Giovanni Quartet, due to the gradual elimination of quality instruments caused by the group’s antics. Hans Messar, a rare violin dealer in Cholo County, New Mexico, commented: “They more they smash, the more mine are worth!”

The Giovanni String Quartet is currently preparing for a tour of North Eastern New Mexico, where they hope that their unique blend of classical music and rock stage antics will be as successful as it has been in the larger cities in the state.

APO With Choir of 200!

2008-03-31T14:44:00.000-07:00

Together with choirs from several high school choirs and the UNM concert choir, the APO is giving a performance on Friday evening the 4th of April, 7:00PM, at the Rio Rancho High School Center for the Performing Arts.

On the program will be:

Ravel - Bolero (just orchestra)
Boito - Mephistofele (orchestra plus choir of 200)

Please join us on Friday evening at 7:00 PM.

See you there!

More thoughts on Beethoven... and Trivia

2008-03-29T20:25:00.000-07:00

After a few more listens to the last movement of the Eroica, I now think that it is a double theme and variations. There is the first theme, almost tentatively stated. Then there is the 2nd theme played in a rousing fashion by the winds then the strings. Both themes are explored thoroughly as the movement advances. Well, simply stated, this piece is a masterwork.

I recently updated the String Quartet Trivia on the Giovanni Quartet site. Now, it's a little more interactive. Give it a whirl!

History and Analysis of Eroica Symphony

2008-03-19T08:12:00.001-07:00

I ran across this detailed and interesting history and analysis of Beethoven's Third Symphony the "Eroica". Since our upcoming rehearsal on Monday evening will included the 1st movement, I plan to spend some time on my part this evening and possibly Friday. Like the 4th movement, the 1st movement is rather long, intricate, and somewhat challenging. There are a few lines that require attention, to be sure!

Interestingly, there are passages including rather dissonant harmonies, and then there is the famous "false entrance" of the horn right before the main theme is re-stated for the recapitulation. For many years after the debut of this piece, these passages were too dissonant for many listeners and were even "corrected" by well-meaning conductors, publishers and even composers! The blasphemy!

Bolero and Eroica

2008-03-18T14:21:00.000-07:00

Last night at the APO rehearsal, we worked for a while on Ravel's Bolero of course made famous in the 1970's movie "10" with Bo Derek. I think I have played it before in college, but I've forgotten all about it, though! It's not a terribly difficult piece, and mostly fun. The viola section acts like a giant Spanish guitar for a good part of the piece by playing lots of double-, triple- and even quadruple-stop pizzicato passages. Then lest we get too bored, there are a couple of melodic passages, some in octaves with the violins, and some in strange harmony intervals with other sections. I think the challenge is to start really soft and continue building the sound, but not to quickly. Also, keeping a steady tempo without losing momentum is not easy.

We'll be performing Bolero on a concert on April 4th along with selections from Mefistofele by Italian composer Boito. This piece will be performed with a large group of high school chorus groups and should be a sonic treat.

Then finally last night, we spent a while on the fourth movement of Beethoven's 3rd Symphony. Despite the interesting textures of the Ravel and Boito pices, it was a real treat to dig in and work on some music by the master from Bonn. As I mentioned in an earlier post, the last movement of the Eroica Symphony is a theme and variations. The theme is a very simple, almost trite bit of music. But of course what Beethoven does with it is remarkable. He creates fantastic melodies, intricate fugues, mysterious passages, etc. And then finally concludes with a musical orgasm as only Beethoven can.

Since I've been able to woodshed a bit on my part, I was able to play quite well last night. There are some fast 16th note passages in the 4th movement, and some tricky timings with 8ths and 16ths such as in the fugue parts. It always feels good to nail it! I still need some work, of course, because the final tempo is rather quick (David decided on quarter to 132, I think) and I want to be able to play securely and cleanly at this speed. It's just a matter of practice, right?

Practiced Beethoven Eroica today...

2008-03-16T15:37:00.000-07:00

On our final concert of the season with the APO, we're putting on Beethoven's 3rd Symphony, "Eroica". I've actually never played this piece before, despite it being a very popular piece and often played by college and pro orchestras. Fortunately, I have a copy of one of the classic recordings of this piece, performed by the Columbia Symphony under Bruno Walter in 1959. And I even have an original LP, the semi-collectible "Columbia Six Eye Stereo" version, in good condition. Now, it looks like to get this one, it's either eBay or an expensive audiophile version. However, this recording is available on CD as well, together with the 8th Symphony.

Upon first reading it just a few weeks ago, I immediately liked the piece and felt that there were many good passages for the viola section. It reminds me a lot of the 7th Symphony in structure and even somewhat in style. And the 7th has long been one of my favorites. And as we've rehearsed it a bit and I've been practicing my part, I've begun to appreciate it even more.

Today I mostly spent time on the last movement, which has a few tricky passages. Nothing too outrageous, though, and overall it is very playable with a certain amount of work. The 3rd movement reminds me a lot of the scherzo from the 7th, but isn't quite as fast nor as demanding. However, it is a tad tricky to count. And as I learned in rehearsal last week, there are some exposed viola section parts that need to be nailed for the movement to hold together. So, I spent time making sure I understood the counting and how to enter decisively without being too loud (most of the passages are marked pp!)

In the mornings, when I do my stretches before breakfast, I've been listening to my LP. One thing that struck my about the last movement is that it appears to be a theme and variations, with perhaps either a false theme to start (as an introduction), or the original theme really is at the beginning, and the theme we all know is one of the variations. Let me know what you think about that idea.

Carmen Fantasy

2008-03-15T06:47:00.000-07:00

On the way home from work on Thursday evening, I turned on the car radio and tuned into KHFM as usual. Right away, I knew the piece was Carmen Fantasy by Sarasate. The first thing that occurred to me was that Carmen (the opera) is just absolutely full of great melodies and amazing music! I've played in the orchestra for Carmen when I was in college, and I remember it as one of the few operas I could stand. In fact, it's my favorite opera. The music is just superb.

Then, the second thing I started noticing was that whomever was playing the violin solo part was just a tremendous player. This was not some child prodigy or flash in the pan. The technique was impeccable, but there was a sense of depth and musicality that transcended the somewhat shallow virtuoso piece being played. The timing was also amazing, and I'm a real stickler for that. The tempos were "right" and the rubatos... well, they were just enough to add spice to the music without being overboard. Wow! I was really enjoying this recording.

Fortunately, I was able to hear it through to the end, and lo and behold, it was Itzhak Pearlman with the New York Philharmonic under Zubin Mehta. No wonder! This was a recording of these people at their prime.

Then the next thought I had was that I need to suggest to David Felberg either A) he play the Carmen Fantasy with the APO, or at the very least, we play the Carmen Suite for orchestra. The music is just too good to pass up. We did play the Habanera with soloist Jacqueline Zander-Wall at our Winter Concert of opera choruses. And she did a phenomenal job - it seemed the audience really enjoyed it.

So, here's to Bizet's Carmen, and the hope that I get to play more of that great music in one form or another.

Opera Choruses Concert on Youtube!

2008-03-11T09:42:00.000-07:00

The Albuquerque Philharmonic Orchestra's Opera Choruses concert we recently performed at the First United Methodist Church with their choir, in downtown Albuquerque was videotaped. Each of the selections is now posted on Youtube. Unfortunately, both the sound and the quality of the video are rather poor. We sound a lot better than that in person!

Italian Film Festival!

2008-01-10T14:00:00.000-08:00

The APO was invited this year to give a concert of film music at the gala opening of the New Mexico Italian Film Festival on February 10th at the Kimo Theater. We read the music for the first time at Monday night's rehearsal, and there is some really nice stuff from Henry Mancini, Nino Rota, Ennio Morricone and others. Themes from The Godfather, La Dolce Vita, The Mission, and Cinema Paradiso, to name a few. The list of films looks excellent so, if you can, get tickets and check it out! Proceeds benefit the UNM Children's Hospital. See you there!

APO Concerts This Weekend: Beethoven and Hansen

2007-12-14T07:19:00.000-08:00

This Saturday the 15th at 2:00 PM and then Monday the 17th at 7:30PM, the Albuquerque Philharmonic is presenting our Winter Concert. On the program is the Romantic Symphony by Howard Hanson, the Beethoven Triple Concerto, and A Christmas Festival by Leroy Anderson. Admission is free so there's no better way to hear some great music!

The guest conductor for this concert is Thomas Shoebotham, an AYS alumni now living in Palo Alto, CA. He brings a fresh approach and a passion to this compositions. For the Beethoven, we have soloists Megan and James Holland on violin and cello, respectively, and Pamela Pyle on piano. These are some very fine soloists and the Beethoven is a great piece!

The concert on Saturday afternoon is located at the South Broadway Cultural Center and then the concert on Monday evening will be at Keller Hall at the UNM Performing Arts Center.

I hope to see you there!

John Tischhauser, my Great Grandfather

2007-11-27T08:38:00.000-08:00

I'd met my great grandfather a few times while I was growing up but since he died when I was about five years old, I don't really remember him. He was a multi-talented musician who played a variety of instruments. But mainly he was a violinist and played with the Albuquerque Civic Symphony, the pre-cursor to the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra.

Recently, a friend of mine and cello player in the Albuquerque Philharmonic Orchestra, Pete Palmer, showed me a print he had from the ACS 1956-57 season, showing himself in the cello section and my great grandfather in the orchestra as well. Pete had found out about my ancestor because my cousin Anne Tillery mentioned John Tischhauser to him. Both Pete and I searched the violin section to identify my great grandfather, but neither of us were sure which person he was.

As it turns out, the reason was because he was sitting in the viola section! When I was just starting out on viola, I had an instrument that was originally owned by Tischhauser. It was a small viola, and not super-great quality, so I used it in elementary school and up until high school when I purchased the Honeycutt viola. But I never realized that my great grandfather actually played viola seriously. But there he is, sitting second chair viola. Now, I feel even more of a kinship with him.

12 Days of Rehearsal

2007-11-25T09:46:00.000-08:00

This is a little ditty I wrote together with Peter Kempter back in 1987 or so, when we worked for his dad Dale Kempter and also James Bonnell at the Albuquerque Public Schools music department during the summer. I'm sure you can tell we were working really hard!

The 12 Days of Rehearsal

On the first day of rehearsal, the director gave to me, a
part to a piece I'd never seen.

On the second day of rehearsal, the director gave to me:
All of the bowings for the

On the third day of rehearsal, the director gave to me:
Three fingerings,

On the fourth day of rehearsal, something caught my eye:
Four different clefs,

On the fifth day of rehearsal, I started getting scared:
FIVE OCTAVE RANGE!

On the sixth day of rehearsal, we read a new movement:
key with six flats,

On the seventh day of rehearsal, we had to count out loud:
7/4 time,

On the eighth day of rehearsal, I nearly fell asleep:
80 bars of rest,

On the ninth day of rehearsal, I had to watch the beat:
nine different tempos,

For the 10th day of rehearsal, I practiced really hard:
10,000 notes,

On the 11th day of rehearsal, we read the whole piece through:
11 long movements,

On the 12th day of rehearsal, the concert was that night:
1,200 listeners!

Please link to this but remember that it is copyrighted material and can not be reproduced by any means without written permission from the authors.

Albuquerque 3rd Annual Best of the City Event

2007-11-14T07:26:00.000-08:00

Well, for the 3rd year in a row, the quartet has been invited to perform at the Albuquerque the Magazine "Best of the City" event to represent the Albuquerque Philharmonic Orchestra. This event is always great fun because the best food, wine and other services are all on display. This year, we plan to play Por una Cabeza, Here Comes the Sun, and Bohemian Rhapsody. It's Thursday night, November 29th, starting at 6pm, at the Santa Ana Star casino and resort. If you have a chance to get tickets and attend, we look forward to seeing you there!

The Rowan Symphony Orchestra

2007-10-16T07:04:00.000-07:00

A few months ago, David Felberg asked me if I would play viola in an orchestra conducted by David Chavez in October. I was honored to be asked, and agreed to do it. Well, here it is in October, and wow, what a great orchestra. The Rowan Symphony Orchestra is made up of some NMSO and SFSO players, along with some UNM music students. Then there's a few of us "stragglers" also... We're playing the Brahms Symphony No. 1 and also the Shostakovitch Violin Concerto #1, with David Felberg as soloist.

We're going to pull this concert off with three rehearsals, which I suppose is about right for pro players. But it's a struggle for me! I'm not used to this kind of cramming. The Brahms I'm familiar with because I've played it before in college and in the APO. Nevertheless, it is not a trivial piece and requires work and loads of concentration. The Shostakovitch, on the other hand, is technically very difficult and two of the movements go VERY fast. So I'm really doing my best to hang in there for this one. But what a GREAT piece it is, and Felberg sounds amazing on the solo violin part.

The concert will be this Thursday evening, 7:30PM at the National Hispanic Cultural Center. If you have that evening free, you should get tickets!

Bridal Fair at Casa Rondena Winery

2007-09-20T09:39:00.000-07:00

This Sunday, September 23rd, I'll be playing at Casa Rondena Winery as part of their Bridal Fair. This will be the official introduction of the Sandia Strings, so we'll have a quartet there but also a harp. It's an open house, so please stop by and say hello if you have a chance. We'll be there from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm.

It's official! Sandia Strings is launched.

2007-09-13T21:28:00.000-07:00

I've just launched an organization dedicated to providing top-notch music for weddings and other special events. The Sandia Strings includes harp, string duos, trios and quartets. The players are some of the best musicians in Albuquerque and I'm excited to have this new venture off the ground. Check out the site and let me know what you think.

First APO Rehearsal of the Season

2007-09-12T07:33:00.000-07:00

On Monday evening, we started this year's APO season with our first rehearsal. For the first concert series, we have Doug Dunston as a guest conductor, from Socorro, New Mexico. Already, he seems very good - I think we'll have a great concert. He communicates with the orchestra very well and has good ideas about what to do with the music.

On the program is the Candide Overture by Bernstein, the Concerto for Violin, Piano and Strings by Mendelssohn, and the Symphony No. 2 by Brahms. I've played the Candide Overture before (who hasn't!) and it's always fun. I've not played the Brahms #2 before, although I've heard it many times, and played his first and fourth symphonies. This is a great piece and I'm looking forward to working on it and performing it. I've never even heard the Mendelssohn before... so I'm sure it will be a joy to discover.

The concerts for this cycle will be on October 27th and 28th (my birthday). Please come and enjoy this music with us - the concerts are free and open to the public!

New APO Season!

2007-08-20T07:13:00.000-07:00

On September 10th, rehearsals start for the new season of the Albuquerque Philharmonic Orchestra. The first concert will feature Brahms Symphony 2 and the Candide Overture by Bernstein, among other pieces. I've played the Bernstein before, but never the Brahms 2nd. It's a great piece and I'm looking forward to tackling it!

Then in July of next year, we'll be doing another series of chamber orchestra concerts, and David somehow talked me into playing the solo viola part for Hindemith's Trauermusik. I performed this piece as part of my senior recital but in the last 19 years I've forgotten it completely. I did buy a part for it recently, so I started looking at it again. Beautiful piece! Should be a fun concert next July.

Moderately successful...

2007-06-28T07:54:00.001-07:00

I guess the audition went OK, even if it wasn't a formal one. The person I played for said that she would "put me on the roster, but not at the top" since there are some local, very very good players ahead of me. That's about what I expected so I'm not disappointed at all. But as usual, I was nervous and did not feel that I played my best. It's not easy to play in front of peers! But that's the way it goes.

The quartet is plenty busy this June and July with weddings. We're playing two weddings on Saturday the 30th, and then another one on Saturday the 7th of July. We already have two bookings in June of '08!

About to do Another Audition

2007-06-12T14:25:00.001-07:00

At a Christmas party last December, I ran into someone I've known since high school - she is the mother of someone with whom I went to school. She mentioned that she'd "heard good things about my planing" and asked if I'd be interested in playing for her. She is the principal violist for a local professional orchestra, and she thought that perhaps I might be able to sub in her section from time to time.

I let her know that I was interested, and that I'd probably play for her this summer. Well, summer is here! So I called her to make an appointment, and she asked me to have some Bach ready, along with something from a Concerto. Gulp! I've been working on the Bach cello suites (particularly #1 in G Major) but I haven't spent any time on a concerto any time lately. I asked her if something from Mozart's Symphonie Concertante would suffice, and she agreed. I had worked on that piece in college, so I felt that I could probably polish it enough for an audition, in a week's time.

So that's what I'm working on this week: Mozart and Bach. Hard to go wrong with those two! If this does result in a fair amount of sub work next season, however, I'll probably have to curtail my involvement with the Albuquerque Philharmonic Orchestra but I'll make that decision when (and if) the time comes.

This is kinda funny!

2007-06-06T07:13:00.000-07:00

I just saw this new blog today and I had to chuckle... it ties right in to my "slow down" post from more than a year ago. I'm sure that drivers everywhere are bad, but Albuquerque is the city that I live in, and there's no doubt we have more than our share of bad ones.

Added some writing samples to web site

2007-05-28T06:30:00.000-07:00

Since I've written articles for a few different publications and web sites over the years, I've been meaning to put a "writing" page on my web site for some time. Friday night I stayed up late an pounded through it. The result is a page with links to other sites where some of my articles are located, and also to some PDFs. Check it out and let me know what you think.

Amapola Gallery, Old Town Albuquerque

2007-05-21T09:25:00.000-07:00

So I met Jane and Nina down at Old Town on Friday evening the 18th because there was a Salsa concert down there as the opening event of the first annual Salsa Festival. Jane had read about it in the paper and it seemed like it would be a fun thing to check out. I went straight from work and met them there in Old Town - they had set up a blanket on the western edge of the plaza. We were also meeting some friends from church there, and they also have a little girl.

When we got down there, we noticed that right across the street from us, on the outside balcony of the Amapola Gallery there was a guy singing Elvis tunes through a small PA system pointed at the plaza. I guess you could say that he was somewhat of an Elvis impersonator, although he sang songs from other artists as well. He wasn't particularly good, but it was no big deal because the Salsa show hadn't started yet. After a handful of songs, he stopped and we all figured that he was done, since the thing on the plaza itself was about to start in a few minutes.

But then he came back out and started singing again... and the Salsa thing was getting started. Because he was singing, we couldn't hear any of the announcements or introductions on the stage in the plaza. Quite a few people were looking back across the street to see what was going on with this "Elvis singer" because at this point, it was disruptive. Jane got up and walked over to the gallery to complain, telling a woman there that this guy was a problem at this point. She came back frustrated because the woman seemed clueless. But we waited a few minutes to see if he would stop. He did not, and I decided to go over there to try and figure out what was going on.

I walked in the gallery and went upstairs. I could see the extension cord to the singer's PA system and for a second or two I contemplated just unplugging him. But I decided that I should talk to them first and find out what the deal was. A woman there was helpful but seemed bewildered. She started talking to another woman who basically said "he (meaning me) has to talk to Bob". So I asked who Bob was and they told me he was the president of the gallery and that he had walked over to the plaza to see if the singer from their balcony was disturbing anyone over there... seemed obvious that he was indeed disturbing people, or why would Bob had gone over there?

So I walked back downstairs to wait for Bob and make the appeal that his singer was giving us headaches and making it impossible to hear the announcements and introductions at the stage in the plaza. Just as I came downstairs, Bob was coming back in and I asked for him to consider the situation. He immediately was defensive, and claimed that "the city didn't tell us anything and we hired this singer so we hav just as much right to have him perform as them (meaning the main stage at the plaza)". I let him know that the Elvis guy was bugging us and that we weren't the only ones. He showed absolutely no interest in helping me. I asked what the name of his gallery was because I was so flabbergasted at his response that I felt it important to remember who I was dealing with. He told me "Amapola" and then asked if I knew what it meant. I did not, and he laughed, saying "he's a pup" (meaning me) and started walking into the gallery.

I followed him in because I didn't feel we had finished discussing the matter yet, and he turned around to face me, got right up in my face, and said "do you have a problem?" in a threatening manner. I stood right in his face and said "yes, I do. I can't believe that this is your response - is this what you call customer service?" To which, he replied "you aren't the only one in this gallery". He made some rude comment about the Salsa music, something to the effect of "I could care less about that stuff". So I told him that "OK, so you have bad taste in music (meaning the Elvis guy) and you have bad customer service - that's two strikes against you". Then I left to go back across the street and try to enjoy the concert, despite the sonic interference from the Elvis guy on the balcony of the Amapola gallery.

Once I got back to where my group was sitting, the announcements were just finishing up and the music was getting started. My daughter was loving the Salsa music and dancing, and we started to forget about the Elvis guy, despite the fact that you could still hear him. He kept going for another 30 minutes!!! I just couldn't believe it! For the life of me, I can not understand why Bob and the people at the Amapola Gallery just couldn't concede defeat, despite having hired the Elvis guy. Sure, OK, maybe he had to pay the guy and send him home. What's wrong with that? But instead, Bob chose to piss me off and act like there was nothing anyone could do to stop his singer from finishing his set. It was just ridiculous!

Wedding season in Albuquerque!

2007-05-15T13:57:00.000-07:00

It's upon us again! This afternoon, I'm meeting at client who is getting married in June at the Casa Rondeña winery here in Albuquerque. It's a lovely spot for a wedding, and my Prairie Star restaurant and golf club in Bernallilo, NM. And of course there are many excellent chapels and other locations - one of my favorites is at the Hotel Albuquerque right near Old Town.

The quartet is prepared for the season with some new arrangements and what's great is that we love this kind of work. It's an honor to provide a service for these couple's special day, and Albuquerque is a great place to have a wedding. Maybe we'll see you at one of them!

Tackling "Sovenier De Florence" - one movement, at least!

2007-04-11T13:05:00.000-07:00

For the Albuquerque Philharmonic chamber music concert coming up on May 20th, our quartet decided to play the 2nd movement of this great Tchaikovsky piece as a sextet with two additional musicians. The first movement would be a blast, but is very long and difficult, and we don't have much rehearsal time to prepare it. And the 2nd movement, like other lyrical pieces by Tchaikovsky, is just lovely. For those of you who haven't heard this piece, it's definitely worth checking out!

Albuquerque Mayor's Dog Ball

2007-02-12T07:40:00.000-08:00

The Giovanni Quartet provided the musical entertainment at this 4th-annual fund-raiser event, held at the Albuquerque Museum of Art and History. We were located in the beautiful, recently completed lobby, along with dozens of dogs and over 100 dog owners and lovers. Mayor Martin Chavez was there as the host, giving a short speech and showing off his own dog. The event raised nearly $100,000 towards public school programs to raise awareness about Albuquerque’s pet overpopulation problem and the importance of spaying and neutering pets. The above photo, by Greg Sorber of the Albuquerque Journal, shows one of the event's canine guests, with our cellist Richard Strauss in the background.

Gone Digital!

2007-01-26T19:22:00.000-08:00

Well, that time has finally come. One of my co-workers was selling his nearly-new Nikon D200 digital SLR with a couple of lenses and a flash, and it was too good a deal to pass up. So I've listed my Contax G1 and Olympus OM4 (both my staple 35mm cameras for many years) up on Ebay.

I definitely had some pangs while setting up these auctions, because these cameras meant a lot to me at one time. The OM4 was a camera I purchased new in 1986 with insurance money I received when my OM2s was stolen. I went ahead and bought three lenses with it at that time, and only added one more lens over the years. But then in 2001, I got the bug to get a rangefinder camera for the superior optical performance (no mirror makes a difference!) and ended up getting the G1. The lenses for this camera are nothing short of spectacular.

But all good things must come to an end. I've spent years working on scanning and Photoshop techniques to recover the skewed color of film. I've spent countless hours cleaning up the scans by removing dust spots and scratches. Not only that, but film needs to be processed. In the last few years, I've used digital cameras many times, and largely felt that the quality was just not there. Well, I think it is getting close enough for most things (this camera is 10.2MP) but mainly the work flow, speed, and convenience just can't be matched.

So that's it! End of an era. I'm only now starting to get familiar with this camera as there is so much to it I'm a little daunted. But I'm sure that by studying the manual, I can learn this system just like all that have come before. Wish me luck!

Snow in Albuquerque??

2006-12-30T17:28:00.000-08:00

From time to time I talk with people who have either never been here or only been here during summer, spring or fall. They seem surprised when I tell them that yes, it can snow here from time to time. Well, this winter so far, we have already had our share of snow and it's only December! Here's a photo I shot today out the bedroom window. You can't tell, but there's a street that's supposed to be out there. We got over a foot of snow during a non-stop, 36-hour snow-a-thon. Tomorrow it supposed to be sunny and clear, and get up to 40 degrees F. So then maybe I'll be able to get my car dug out and parked back in the garage...

String Quartet Trivia: 20 Questions

2006-12-22T07:40:00.000-08:00

Just for grins I added a "Quartet Trivia" page to the Giovanni Quartet web site. There are 20 questions, ranging from easy to difficult. Give it a try!

Casa Rondena Winery Gig

2006-12-13T09:10:00.000-08:00

This last Sunday, Dec. 10 the Giovanni String Quartet hosted a private party at the Casa Rondena Winery in Albuquerque. The idea was to say "thanks" to our clients and people who have supported us along with allowing a preview to clients considering us or those who have already hired us but never heard us. We ended up with about 75 people there.

We started by playing a few of our favorite selections while guests came in and were seated. Interestingly, people were very quiet and sat down as if this was a recital! So after 15 minutes of playing, we took a break to encourage people to enjoy the food (provided by Celebrations Catering), the wine (of course provided by Casa Rondena) and to mingle with each other. From that point on, we had a party! It was a lot of fun to see familiar faces and meet some new people as well. And of course it was fun to play music for people who were clearly enjoying it.

Nephew of a US Congressman!

2006-11-08T07:06:00.000-08:00

My uncle, Jerry McNerney was just elected to the US House of Representatives in California's 11th Congressional District. As mentioned in my earlier post, Jerry has always been interested in alternative energy. Probably more importantly, the people in the 11th district were probably tired of Richard Pombo's 7 consecutive terms, along with all that has happened in US government in the last 12 years. I'm really excited for Jerry and feel that he will be a great addition to congress. Here are the results for all the congressional disctricts in California.

My uncle, Jerry McNerney for Congress!

2006-10-27T07:24:00.000-07:00

My mom's younger brother Jerry McNerney is running for US congress in California's 11th district, to unseat Pombo, the republican incumbent. I've known Jerry all my life, since he lived in Albuquerque until I was in high school. And I can tell you this: he is a man of integrity. And he's wicked smart, having earned a PhD in Mathematics. When I was a freshman in high school, I had to do a term paper for my math class, and he was instrumental in helping me find source material by leading me through the dusty archives in the University of New Mexico's library. He was always interested in talking about stuff like physics, Shostakovich, or chess. And he's always been interested in renewable energy, particularly wind-generated power. I think he's running for the right reasons: to help make change in a very personal way. He's willing to get involved and serve his constituents and his country by going through what must be a huge personal challenge to get there.

Four years ago, without support of the democratic party, and with only a grass-roots effort, he was able to do very well against Pombo, even though he ultimately lost the election. Now, he has the support of the Democratic party, having won the primary election. Ane he even has endorsements from prominent Republicans such as Pete McCloskey and Tom Benigno. General Wesley Clark has also endorsed Jerry.

Learn more about his campaign effort here.

Busiest Week of my Year?

2006-10-16T13:54:00.000-07:00

Sure, I brought this on myself... but now that this week is upon me, I'm reflecting on all that must happen, and how it came to be.

Monday (today): a day at the office at Lectrosonics. We're finalizing the new price list, and I'm the project manager. Complete re-formatting (at my suggestion) and now we just have to finish all the different versions (two dealer types plus retail, each in XL, PDF and print). Tonight, rehearsal with the Albuquerque Philharmonic Orchestra. Our concert is on Sunday the 22nd... so there is only this rehearsal and the dress rehearsal Wednesday night before we perform this program. Oh, by the way, since I'm principal viola now, I'm in charge of bowings for the section. I finished the bowings for the Alhaj peices (four of them) just yesterday morning. So, before rehearsal, I need to make copies for each of the seven stands in the section. Gotta stop by Kinkos on the way there...

Tuesday: a day at the office at Lectrosonics, with the added activity of picking up a group of five people at the airport at about noon, then taking them to lunch. We're hosting an in-house training this week, and we have eight people attending. Followed by a (relatively) quiet evening at home.

Wednesday: a day at the office at Lectrosonics, started with a group breakfast at Weck's. Then we'll take the group on a tour of the factory before they begin their day-long training session. I'm not one of the instructors for the first day, but I'll be preparing for my 1/2 day training with them scheduled for Thursday morning. During the evening I'll be rehearsing with the Giovanni Quartet in preparation for a wedding gig in Edgewood, NM on Saturday the 21st.

Thursday: a day at the office at Lectrosonics, with me giving a 4-hour training on wireless microphones to a group of eight people visiting from around the US and one from Canada. During the evening, I'll be at the dress rehearsal for the APO concert upcoming on Sunday the 22nd.

Friday: a day at the office at Lectrosonics, with the added activity of taking a group of six people to the airport. A "normal" evening probably spent with a glass of Lagavulin scotch in my hand. And hopefully Jane won't have disowned me yet!

Saturday: haircut at 8:30am. Then I get to spend some time with my daughter for nearly the first time all week. 1:30pm: depart for Edgewood, NM for wedding and three hours of reception, with the quartet. Meanwhile, another complete quartet will be at the Tamaya resort for another wedding, with Shane in charge.

Sunday: 2:00pm APO concert at Keller Hall, at the University of New Mexico. Featured program is Dvorak's 6th Symphony in D Major, along with music by Alhaj. Should be a really nice concert. And then I can try to relax and get some rest before Monday the 23rd...

First Chair

2006-09-12T15:03:00.000-07:00

Well, after all the fretting, practicing, anxiety and anticipation, the audtion finally happened yesterday evening. I was the 2nd of two violists to go in "the room" and by then (the four violinists had already gone in, trying for concertmaster and associated concermaster positions) I was stressed out. I worked on my best "calm" thinking and felt confident in my preparation.

Then when I was called in, and started to play, my heart raced like crazy! I suppose it was a true testament to the practicing I had done in that I was able to maintain an even tempo and fairly decent tone quality for the Bach (Allemende from Cello Suite #3). And once I was into the orchestral excerpts, my heart rate started coming down. I had forgotten what true stage fright felt like! But again, preparation saved me.

About 15 minutes after I played, they announced the results and I was given the principal position! So now begins the process of providing bowings and other direction to the viola section. And it appears we'll have a great section this year with something like 10 or perhaps 12 violas! Should be a fun season with lots of great music, such as the Bruch concerto with Lenoard Felberg as the soloist, Beethoven's 7th Symphony, Mahler's 1st Symphony, and plenty of other great material. If you're in the Albuquerque area, come and see the concerts!

Preparing for the Audition

2006-09-02T06:21:00.000-07:00

The Albuquerque Philharmonic Orchestra has openings for concertmaster (first chair, first violin), associate concertmaster (2nd chair, first violin) and principal viola. I've been preparing for the audition, which will take place before the weekly rehearsal on Monday, September 11, and I've chosen to go for the principal viola spot. First of all, I'm primarily a violist anyway, although I spent the 2nd half of the last APO season in the 2nd violin section. But perhaps equally important is that I probably have a chance to land the principal viola spot wheras I wouldn't have nearly the likelyhood of landing one of the violin spots.

Needless to say, any audition requires serious preparation. I'm not a procrastinator and I also don't like to do anything like this even remotely unprepared. Thus, I've spent considerable time practicing the parts and carefully working out the technical challenges. The material for the audition includes a solo viola piece, and I've chosen the Allemande from Bach's unaccompanied cello suite #3. Then there are two excerpts from Beethoven's 7th Symphony, including the melody from the 2nd movement, and the first page or so of the Scherzo. Not overly technically challenging, but nevertheless, these are well-known passages and must be perfect or nearly so.

Then there are three passages from Mahler's 1st Symphony, including something from the first movement, then two passages from the 4th movement. These present more in the way of technical challenges, but still aren't too awfully scary. Mainly for these, I'm concerned about keeping a good tone while playing loudly, such as in the parts from the 4th movement. Certainly, working on these parts reminds me of what great music the Mahler 1st Symphony is! And of course, Bach and Beethoven, too.

Wish me luck!

Staples EASY button morphed into....

2006-07-19T07:13:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine, Al Cohen of Impluse Design in Connecticut, sent me some info on a "side project" that I thought was just great. As an advertising person, I can appreciate the approach taken by Staples with their "Easy" button. But Al makes a good point in his project outline about the dumbing down of America... so here it is: information on how to modify your Easy button into an EVIL button along with a short video showing the results. Enjoy!

Capital Merchant Services called again...

2006-06-29T09:52:00.000-07:00

Follow-up: today, Capital Merchant Services called again to my cell phone, from the same number (505-830-1082) as yesterday. This was after I went to their home page and sent them a nasty gram yesterday via their contact form. I even gave them a link to this blog so they could see what I had written aboutall this. No response so far, and so I'll continue to report them to the National Do Not Call Registry each time they call.

Beware of Capital Merchant Services!

2006-06-28T14:35:00.000-07:00

Thankfully, I have not done any business with Capital Merchant Services. But they called me on my cell phone to offer credit card processing services. I didn't answer, and they didn't leave a message. But I called the number back because it was a local number (505-830-1082) and I thought it might be someone trying to reach me for the services of my quartet. When I called the number I realized that it was this company and they had called to solicit me, I let them know that my number is listed with the National Do Not Call Registry. Usually, this works like a charm and people have even apologized to me for calling and vowed to take me off their list.

Not so with Capital Merchant Services! The woman on the phone told me "your number is not on the do not call list". I asked her again the name of her company, so I could write it down. Then I told her that indeed my number IS on the list and that I would be reporting them to the National Registry. I also decided to look for their information online, so that I could perhaps send them a nasty-gram stating that A) they are full of crap, B) that they had called a cell phone, and C) that I had reported them. Interestingly, what I came up with in my search was a number of references to this company as being fraudulent.

The first listing I found was on the KOBTV web site for businesses that have received an "F" rating from the Better Business Bureau. OK, so CMS hasn't only annoyed me. Then, I found a listing on the Ripoff Report where several people had claimed that this company had perpetrated fraud.

Don't companies know that now, with the web, google, and blogs, that it is ever more difficult to hide?

Customer Service Still Makes a Difference

2006-06-15T08:13:00.000-07:00

I recently discovered that one of the tires on my car had a slow leak. After filling it with air once, then realizing a few days later that it was still leaking (i.e. it wasn't dirt in the valve) I took it off the car and attempted to patch it (there were two nails and one screw in it!) The patch seemed to hold, so I drove it to work the next day. At the end of the day, however, I realized that it was still leaking - and I was leaking explitives...

A friend of mine here at work, David Thomas suggested that Discount Tire will patch your tire for free, as long as you take it off the car and bring it in. Needless to say, I was skeptical and figured that there had to be some string attached. So I called them and they confirmed that patching a flat tire was free.

I brought the tire in at the end of the day to the Discount Tire location right near my house. And they were slammed, with people bringing in as many as four flat tires to be fixed... and their bays were full. The guy behind the counter asked me if I could leave the tire, which was fine since I have a full-sized spare. I left the tire and went home with a claim ticket.

The next day I stopped by at the end of the day on the way home again to pick up the tire. I parked the car and started walking across the parking lot to the office. A young guy came out from one of the bays and greeted me, and asked what I needed. I mentioned picking up a tire, and he took my claim ticket, checked to see if it was done, and then offered to take my keys and put the tire on the car. I gave him the keys and sat down in their waiting area for about 10 minutes.

They drove my car around to right near where I was sitting, and when I came out, the guy said "have a nice day!". Needless to say, this kind of overall customer service seems to be out of the ordinary. It reminds me, though, that I also see that kind of thing at the new Raley's Supermarket where the young clerks offer me a shopping cart, and offer to take my groceries out to my car after I make my purchase. All I can say is this: it matters. I like this kind of thing and I think most people do. I strive to offer that kind of service with my string quartet and it seems to make a difference to the customer.

I'd like to hear your stories about good customer service - maybe by spreading the good news, we can make a difference.

Wedding Season is On the Way...

2006-05-01T11:47:00.000-07:00

Since organizing a string quartet again last year, I've been more aware of the seasonal trends in terms of weddings. Also, it's been interesting to observe the different kinds of brides. For the most part, couples that are hiring a quartet have already placed a premium on live music. And they are interested in having a classy event, thereby choosing string music. But from there, I've noticed differences in planning styles and approaches to organizing the weddings.

For one thing, some brides are very aware of exactly what music they want for their ceremony and even the reception. They have already done an extensive search for music, listened to CDs and online examples, and consulted with their curch about their choices. Other couples are more easy going about the music and just want the traditional tunes, and for it to be "nice". We of course accommodate either style. In fact it's fun to help the couple choose their music.

Also, of course there is a vast difference between the couples that plan really far in advance and those that wait until the last minute. Again, we try to accommodate both types, but I think the planners have the advantage because they will be able to book the right venues, the right musical groups, and everything else. Due to the seasonal nature of the business, May, June and July get very busy! I have a feeling that any open dates we have left will be booked within a few more weeks.

To help with the process, we've added a tip sheet for hiring musicians. So far, this page has seen a little bit of traffic, but I thought it would generate more visitation. Perhaps it's a matter of time until people find this material.

Overall, it's actually very enjoyable to works with brides and grooms to help provide the music for their special event. They are always in such a good mood because of the wedding!

Ode to James G. Winkler

2006-05-01T11:37:00.000-07:00

Sunday morning, April 29, 2006 I learned that my father's oldest brother, Jim Winkler, died. He underwent triple-bypass surgery the week before and seemed to be recovering well. Then early Sunday morning, the hospital staff woke him up to give him a bath. He suffered a stroke and died on the spot.

Jim was always a very warm and giving person, mostly of his time. He lived near Chicago and so every so often I would see him if I was in town, or if there was a major family event. He came to my wedding, and to my parents 40th wedding anniversary, and to my brother's wedding last summer. I remember a couple of times when I visited Chicago on business, and he always was a great host. One of those times, when I was still in the Air Force, he asked me what I wanted to do. So I said that I hadn't seen the Chicago Institute of Art. So he offered to meet me there (this was a major commute for him) and I walked a few blocks to meet him. We spent a good deal of time in the museum, and I remember admiring one particular painting for the use of light. When we left the museum, he gave me a gift and it was a print of that painting he had purchased in the museum shop.

Another time I visited him, he again asked me what I wanted to do. This time, I expressed interest in seeing Oak Park, where all the Frank Lloyd Wright houses were located. So he drove me up there and we spent the afternoon walking around and looking at houses.

Jim was an outstanding photographer, and went on many safaris in Africa, and traveled throughout the world. I remember seeing photos on his walls at home that, in my opinion, were National Geographic quality. He always had a camera and had a really great sense of timing. He got great pictures of people, such as at my parent's anniversary party, and my brother's wedding. And as digital cameras were coming in, he jumped on the bandwagon fairly early. Even though he was in his late 60s, he mastered the newer technology, and learned how to use Photoshop and was very comfortable with computers.

One thing is for sure: Jim lived life to the fullest. I hope to be that kind of person as I grow older: paying attention to younger people and being generous with my time. I'll miss him but I know that the world is a better place because of Jim Winkler.

The meek shall inherit SQUAT

2006-03-13T08:01:00.000-08:00

An entertaining and deeply interesting book I've been reading is 1421 by Gavin Menzies. It's about the fact that from AD 1421-1423, the Chinese circumnavigated the globe with a vast fleet of ships and planted colonies in several places, including North and South America. In reading this book, one thing really struck me: the commanders in charge of these fleets were given orders to "treat distant peoples with kindness". The officers and crews were either Buddists, Muslim or Confucianists. And certainly the peoples they encountered, from Austrailia to Africa to South America to the Northwest Coast of North America were of very different beliefs. And yet despite the overwhelming evidence of these extensive Chinese voyages and the colonies they started, there is precious little example of them being hostile or taking people, goods, food or land by force. And so in many ways, they assimilated into the native population, or at least lived in harmony. And thus have been forgotten.

No, it was the Portugese and Spanish, relying on the maps and charts created by the Chinese before them, who wreaked havoc upon the peoples in the lands they conquered. They took over the Indies spice trade that China had built over hundreds of years, and did so by force. They colonized North, Central and South America, by slaughtering thousands...

So despite Jesus's sentiments in his Beatitudes about "blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the Earth", I must say that all evidence points to the contrary. Indeed, during my daily commute, it appears clearly that the more aggressive drivers get to their destination first. It appears that the more aggressive political leaders throughout the world are the ones who's policies are established. The more reasonable people may be concerned, and may even "organize" but they aren't willing to become ruthless enough to truly stop the agressors.

Hitler took advantage of this. Mussolini took advantage of this. Stalin took advantage of this. And we can look at our own history here in the US for countless examples of agressive, unreasonable people getting the land, the money, their names on statues, etc.

So I suppose it comes down to a choice: beat them or join them. Ironic how both of these choices involve becoming the agressor.

Tchaikovsky Bb String Quartet

2006-03-03T07:52:00.000-08:00

For the past couple of months, my string quartet has been working on this piece. Our first violinist, Shane Snedigar, knew about it and gave us each a copy of the recording. However, he had been unable to find the parts. After an extensive web search, I was able to find it listed at Sheet Music Plus and ordered the parts. According to information that Shane had, it was a student work by Tchaikovsky. Listed on the part is "Opus Posthumous" so aparently it was not published until after his death.

As we've been working on it, the piece has really grown on me. In some ways, it is not as "mature" as his later works, and the main theme is not as amazing as his more famous themes from his more well-known quartets. However, it's endearing in its own right. And although it is not perhaps as technically demanding as his larger works, it is difficult enough to be challenging. Particularly the section with six sharps!

The form of the piece is interesting: it has a slow introduction, then the main body of the work is Allegro, then it has a slow conclusion echoing the first part. The whole thing is only about 12 minutes long.

We're preparing it to perform at the Albuquerque Philharmonic chamber music concert on May 21st. Seems like we still have a lot of time, but I think the difficult part of this piece is really bringing out the musical nuances. Now that we've gotten through most of the technical stuff, we can concentrate in this area. One nice thing about performing a little-known piece is that we have an opportunity to create our own interpretation without too many pre-conceived ideas from other recordings, etc. It's a fun process!

Brrreeeport: does it matter?

2006-02-17T07:12:00.000-08:00

So I've just been hearing about this brrreeeport experiment which involves a newly created word to see how it rises through the search engine rankings once it is included in hundreds of blogs. Well, I've been learning about search engine use for years and this is an interesting debate! Lately, I've even started up a Google AdWords account for the Giovanni String Quartet. As a result, key words and search results have become ever more interesting to me.

Learning to Play the Violin

2006-02-13T07:37:00.000-08:00

Well, fortunately I'm not learning from scratch since I've played the viola since I was in the 4th grade (less the 14 years between 1990 and 2004...) and even play semi-professionally in the Giovanni String Quartet. Thus I do have a fairly solid technical foundation for string playing. The bow arm is largely the same, and the left hand technique is closely related. However, I've found there to be some significant differences.

First, the violin itself and the bow are both noticeably lighter in weight, thus not as much physical strength is needed to play the violin. Also, the violin seems to be more naturally sensitive than the viola, which is both good and bad. The good part is that it takes significantly less effort to make a sound. It's startling to me how easy it is to get something out of this instrument! Partly because of this, and also partly because of the violin's place in the orchestra, the playing seems to be much more subtle than with the viola. One of the challenges, though, is that while it's easier to make a sound, it seems more difficult to make the *right* sound. due to its sensitivity, the violin is very easily played badly in terms of tone. The slightest problem with the bow and the sound is scratchy, or the bow bounces, or other problems.

Since we have an abundance of violas in the Albuquerque Philharmonic right now, I volunteered to play violin in the Seconds. I figured this would be a good way for me to get used to playing in treble clef on the violin, and also get my bow technique more refined.

You realize that violins and violas are actually the same size but that violinist's heads are just bigger?

Intonation actually seems a tad easier, maybe because I'm used to the hand stretching involved with viola playing. On the Violin, my left hand can be more relaxed.

So my first concert on the violin in the APO is coming up on the 18th. We're performing two Beethoven works: the Choral Fantasy, with Arlette Felberg on piano solo, and then the Mass in C. Both are great pieces, and since they are mostly in C Major, and mostly diatonic, I'm not faced with too many challenges when trying to get my reading straightened out. The next concert cycle will include the Sibelius 2nd Symphony, however... (gulp!)

The Secret to a Healthy Diet

2006-01-25T09:25:00.000-08:00

Here's a belief I've held for many years. I don't have a lot of scientific evidence to back it up, but I think it makes sense. If you want to eat a healthy diet and therefore lose weight or maintain a healthy weight, you only have to really do two things:

1) You have to enjoy eating things that are good for you, and;

2) You must do some sort of physical activity on a regular basis.

It's that simple. Fad diets, drugs, or anything else that helps you lose weight without doing anything different with your life just won't work. Either you won't be able to keep the weight off, or you won't be healthy.

Perhaps it's easier said than done to "like eating things that are good for you" but here's where I see the problem: people have too much of the "reward" mentality. It goes like this: "I've been GOOD all week so now I can have a TREAT". What's going on is that the stuff people think is good for them is stuff they don't like. Marketers have a field day with this by selling junk food designed as health food.

If you like real, good food like fresh fruits and vegetables, healthy meats and good bread, you're most of the way there. Don't drown your salad in bacon. Don't think that white bread is the only type that is palatable. Just like the real, good stuff.

The second part is equally important. The human body needs activity and if you don't get it, you're missing something. Diet can't compensate for this. With a minimum of 20 to 30 minutes a day of just WALKING you are most of the way there. What is so hard about that?

Slow Down!

2006-01-13T13:23:00.000-08:00

A number of years ago I started taking photos of road kill with the intention of exhibiting a show called "Slow Down". My goal was to get even just a few people to realize that we all drive too damn fast.

This morning I was reminded of this again. Now I shouldn't say that I ALWAYS drive the speed limit or below, but I'm very careful and I try to be aware of the road conditions, other drivers, visibility, etc. And I work hard to keep my car in top shape so I know I can rely on it in all conditions.

But quite often, like this morning, I'm tail gated by someone behind me wanting to go faster. And many times, there's someone in front of me so I CAN'T go any faster even if I wanted to. And another thing: I usually allow for a space between me and the car in front of me so that if they slow down or need to stop, I have time to react. Well, aparently, this some people don't like that, and they think that every square inch of road should be covered with a car at all times, regardless of speed. I guess they can't tell that I'm GOING THE SAME SPEED as the cars in front of me, but I'm just leaving a space. So they try to pass me and fill that space.

What, can I ask, is WRONG with people?

Slow the hell down, leave earlier if you have to, and get off my back.

And watch out for the animals out there. What's the hurry anyway? Gotta get to McDonalds? Or is it Starbucks? Those animals that you've run over on the way there don't get to nibble on their next french fry. By the way, if you haven't seen the movie SuperSize Me, you owe it to yourself to check it out.

Here's another thought: please friggin' SIGNAL when you are going to turn. I can't tell you how many times I'm waiting to turn left or pull onto a road and the schmuck coming the other way doesn't signal, and then turns. I of course now have to wait another 30 seconds for the next break in traffic and pray that another dolt doesn't do the same thing.

All I ask is that you are respectful, courteous and careful out there on the roads. And I promise to do the same thing. If we all did this, road rage, rear-end accidents, blood pressure, and hatred towards our fellow drivers would probably be reduced. Isn't that a worthwhile goal?

Interpretation of the US Flag

2006-01-10T13:29:00.000-08:00

For several years I've had this idea rattling around in my head, and I've even told a few people about it. So I decided to make it a little more "public" so here goes.

Flags and other symbols usually mean what is associated with them rather than the raw symbol having an intrinsic meaning. For instance, the swastika was used by several cultures, including examples in Native America. But then the Nazis adopted the swastika as their symbol and now it has a specific association, decidely different than what it had before that time.

Brand logos come to represent what those companies want them to, or, at least what the market assigns to them.

The US flag is no different, and it certainly represents something very different to citizens of the US versus those in other parts of the world. And this meaning has changed quite a bit over the years.

With all that said, the flag represents specific things to me.

The Blue Field: this represents the things most of us strive for: justice, truth and purity.

The Stars: these represent us, the citizens of the U.S.

The White Stripes to the right of the blue field: these represent the path we have taken to get here, for those who have not paid with blood.

The Red Stripes to the right of the blue field: these represent the path we have taken to get here, but by those who have paid for where we are with their blood.

The White Stripes across the lower half represent the path taken by those who came before us.

And the Red Stripes across the lower half represent the path taken by those before us who paid with their blood.

Ever Had Vertigo?

2006-01-04T09:42:00.000-08:00

I had an "interesting" experience over the holiday: an episode of vertigo. On Christmas eve, in the morning, I started feeling dizzy as I was helping my daugther get up and get dressed. So I laid down in bed so it would pass. But instead of getting better, I got more and more dizzy. If I opened my eyes, the room would seem to spin. Then the nausea came on. It got so bad that I was sitting on the bathroom floor in front of the toilet with my eyes closed, trying not to move. If I turned my head, I would feal nausea immediately. So I realized that I would need medical attention... and asked my wife for help. Fortunately, Jane's mother was in town visiting us so she could watch our daughter.

My wife drove me down to the urgent care clinic and of course the first thing they said was "the wait is about two and a half hours". I think I gave them a look like "you have to be kidding". As it turns out, a neighbor of ours worked at the clinic and it's possile she helped me get in earlier because I think I only waited about an hour. The doctor asked me some questions, looked in my ears, had me follow a light with my eyes, and abruptly asked me "do you prefer a shot, pills, or a suppository". I chose the shot for the quick action. I was done and went home and the dizziness and nausea finally passed. The doctor also prescibed some anti-nausea drugs, which I took. Then I slept for the rest of Saturday and all of Saturday night. My wife, daughter and mother-in-law went to my parents house for Christmas Eve dinner...

As it turns out, a co-worker of mine here at Lectrosonics also had very similar symptoms. Her doctor told her that it was probably debris in her ear. I came to the conclusion that it was a virus, possibly flu. Here's a description of vertigo and the possible causes. The vertigo itself went away and hasn't come back, although my wife has mentioned she's felt some mild dizziness since then. But the "cold" or flu itself had me a little bit down a few days before the vertigo and more than a week after.

Cameras: time to trade film for digital?

2005-12-23T08:05:00.000-08:00

For those ending up here after finding my photography site, this post is for you. In the last year, I've been heavily involved with music and haven't done as much photography as I'd been doing previously. However, I have taken a few photos that have received fairly wide exposure, namely this one, this one and this one of violinist and conductor David Felberg; and this one of my string quartet; and then this one of a product, also found here.

And during the process of taking the above product photograph, I used a digital camera. This of course was not my first time with a digital camera... but during this session, I also shot with a film camera - my trusty Hasselblad 503cw. The main thing that I noticed was that halfway through the session, I stopped shooting on film and concentrated on getting the image with the digital camera. For one thing, I could run back to the computer, load up the image, and see exactly what it looked like. Not just a polaroid but the EXACT image.

Not only that, but once I was done with the digital image, I was DONE. No waiting for the lab, no scanning, no color correcting... you see the point. The other images (of David Felberg and the string quartet) were shot on film. And frankly, the quality is still superior. And I wasn't in as much of a hurry as with the product photo.

Here's the dilemma: to get into a digital system, such as Canon's EOS 20D, which I consider to be the bare minimum equipment to do pro work, particularly connected to studio lighting, I would need to sell almost all the equipment I have in order to get into the new system. Bodies (I would probably also get a film body, such as the EOS3, lenses, and a few accessories add up quickly.

It seems that now is the time to unload medium-format equipment because the price is falling and probably won't recover anytime soon. But to give up the medium format system, particularly my "dream camera", the Hasselblad seems a shame. It's a camera I'd like to pass down instead of just liquidating. And it seems that film in 120 format will probably be available for at least another decade. But after that - what happens? The rest of the cameras I'm not as attached to, such as the Olympus and the Contax despite the fact that they are excellent cameras.

Maybe there's another way... maybe I can sell off the 35mm stuff and keep the MF stuff, and put a little cash into this... Hmmm gotta find a way to generate some extra cash and make this happen while keeping the Hassy and the Zeiss German lenses...

Las Placitas Church

2005-12-20T13:13:00.000-08:00

On Sunday, Dec. 18th I played with a small musical ensemble as accompaniment to a choir for a church service. Along with me on viola, there were two violins, a cello, two flutes and two oboe players. They also had a pianist that regularly accompanies the choir. The location was Las Placitas Presbyterian Church in Placitas, NM.

The music was all Bach, starting with the Air in D, then most of the material was from a Cantata in A Minor. Although I was somewhat concerned during the first rehearsal about the outcome, the concert went off quite well and all the bumps were ironed out by the time we played in front of an audience. One main thing that had us instrumentalists concerned was that the conductor was clearly a choral musician, not an orchestral conductor. However, with work on our part (rehearsing separately, watching and listening) I think it all came together fine.

The acoustics in the church were quite good, and I can see why they have the Placitas Artist Series chamber music concerts there.

The other musicians were all members of the Albuquerque Philharmonic. The cellist, Pete Palmer, is nearly 80 years old and knew my great-grandfather, John Tischhauser because the two of them played in the New Mexico Symphony together in the 1950s! That's one of the great things about playing music - it brings people together.

The Best of Albuquerque

2005-12-12T10:05:00.000-08:00

It's been a busy week. Last Thursday the Giovanni Quartet performed at the "Best of Albuquerque" event put on by Albuquerque, the Magazine. We were the only acoustic group although Hector Pimentel was also supposed to play. We saw him there, they announced him, but he never actually played... strange.

As expected, the sound system and stage were set up for bands, not a quartet. The sound guy, Carlos, was very helpful though and we got it set up OK. Four SM58 microphones... and set up a little ways from each of us except for the cello. Richard had a mic down low and fairly close to the instrument. He probably had the best sound of the four of us. During the performance, I could hear that we were on the verge of feedback, and the sound was strange. However, David Felberg was there and he complimented us on the performance. I don't know how many people were actually listening...

Richard pointed out that this was a good experience for us since it would be very similar playing at any type of corporate event. What I was proud of is the fact that we stayed very tightly together musically and adjusted to the circumstances. Subtleties were out the window but everyone played well and I thought we did a good job.

This week we decide what new material to add to the book, and what stuff to eliminate. It's about time, because we really haven't been playing a lot of the stuff in there, and we've been looking for new arrangements. I also want to organize the books by music type, i.e. "wedding ceremonies" "receptions", "pop", etc. It may not be so easy to classify stuff that way, but we'll give it a shot.

The APO Concert

2005-12-07T07:59:00.000-08:00

The APO concert last night went well in many ways. The section took my suggestion for the seating arrangement, so my usual stand partner stayed where she normally sits, and someone filled in for me while I sat 2nd. The good part was that I could see and hear what was going on, but the bad part was that the stage was very cramped and I literally had no elbow room. However, I sat between Chris Dutro and Richard Strauss, and everyone was very friendly. I mentioned to Richard that "we're sitting even closer than when we play string quartets" to which he replied "thank God!"

The performance itself was shaky in the Nutcracker Suite and I think it was underrehearsed. But also I noticed more clearly last night that the order of pieces in that suite just seems wrong. The first one is OK, but the suite should end with the Pas de Deux, in my opinion. I don't know if the keys will work out if the order is changed, but my guess is that they don't particularly work out in the present order. I want to do some research on it and perhaps make a suggestion to David Chavez that we do it in a different order. I doubt that he'll want to change it, but one never knows.

I thought the Russian Easter Overture went well, probably better than it ever had in rehearsal. There was a continuity to the piece and also the right tempo. There were some tricky spots but overall it was probably the best piece in terms of the orchestra's performance at the concert. The Tchaikovski Violin Concerto was a little rough as far as the orchestra following the soloist, and I think in a couple of spots it showed. However, David Felberg's playing was outstanding from what I could hear. And the audience certainly seemed to appreciate it.

Tomorrow night is the "Best of Albuquerque" for the quartet, and it appears that the event isn't all that well organized... But I'm sure we'll play well. Hopefully we'll get some interest in terms of gigs. Until then!

Musical Chairs

2005-12-06T11:59:00.000-08:00

Last night's rehearsal went well enough although the "musical chairs" in the viola section is causing a bit of disruption. The principal violist has to miss one of the concerts, then the co-principal will miss the next one. So they've asked me and my stand partner to fill in, one at a time, for each of the concerts where one of them will be absent. I originally thought this was fine, probably because I've been thinking about trying for first chair. But now that people have to move around, problems have come up. My stand partner sat 2nd chair last night and it didn't appear to be a good experience for her. She doesn't have that much experience playing at this level, and from what she says, she relies on me to know where we are in the music, and for entrances. But sitting 2nd chair, she was much more exposed.

In the mean time, someone else sat next to me and he has a very different sense of the music than I do, specifically about timing. And he is much more confident and loud than my usual stand partner, so as a result now I hear someone playing next to me who is more on top of or ahead of the beat than I am. After reahearsal, the discussion came up that "what we should have done is simply have the whole 2nd stand sit first stand for these two concerts" and I realized that it made a lot of sense. I think I was so concerned about getting my parts under control that I didn't think about the bigger picture.

Since the concert is tonight, I plan to make a suggestion: have me sit 2nd chair so my usual stand partner can stay where she is, and have the guy that sat with me in rehearsal last night sit where I usually sit. I think that it would be the best way to go, but I don't know if everyone else will agree with me about that. There's only one way to find out!

Tomorrow Night's Concert

2005-12-05T12:26:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow evening the Albuquerque Philharmonic will be performing a concert, and I’m a member of the viola section. I’m excited about some aspects of the concert, and not so excited about other things. The music is really excellent – Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Russian Easter Overture”, the 2nd Nutcracker Suite from Tchaikovsky, and also Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto with David Felberg as soloist. It’s wonderful literature, and not without its challenges.

I’ve probably practiced some of the sections, particularly in the Russian Easter Overture, more thoroughly than anything else I’ve done with the APO. Overall, I feel pretty well prepared and I’ve spent extra effort on the parts because for the next concert, on Sunday the 11th, I’ll be sitting principal. First chair is a really different place to sit than anywhere else in the section. Mainly, it is very exposed, meaning that there is no one to follow. In fact, the section will be following me for entrances and bowings. So I really have to pay attention, concentrate, and have my part totally together. The other different thing is that it is much easier to hear what the other sections and particularly, the other principal players are doing. Overall, it’s very challenging but very satisfying. After this concert, though, we’ll be rotating and Natalie and I will head to the back of the section.

Although the music is enjoyable and I feel pretty well prepared, there never seems to be enough time to rehearse and perfect the fine details that make this music as good as it can be. Of course this is largely because we are a community orchestra and thus a wide range of players are members. In some cases, people are less prepared than they should be although overall, the quality of this group often surprises me.

When I’m playing, either in the quartet or in the APO, it often occurs to me that “this is what I should be doing”. It’s like anything else that I enjoy or have enjoyed in the past such as rock climbing, mountain biking, etc. While I’m doing it, I don’t think about anything else. There’s definitely a “Zen” element to playing music – you have to get into the “zone” and focus 100% of your energy, both physical and mental, into playing. Considering the overall level of dedication found in the APO, I would say that this feeling is shared among most of the members.

I’ll post an update after the concerts.

BBQ Gig

2005-11-26T19:26:00.000-08:00

Last night the quartet played in an unusual setting: a BBQ restraunt called the Smokehouse in Rio Rancho, NM. The owner had found us via the web and asked us to play on the Friday after Thanksgiving. It's not the classieset joint in the world so I wasn't sure what to expect. Nevertheless I had invented a scenario in my mind about what would happen. I figured that since they don't serve alchohol at this place, people would most likely come in, get something to eat, put up with us for 30 minutes or so, and split. Based on this, we came up with a set list that lasted about 1 hour, figuring that by the time we got through the list, most of the patrons would have rotated through and we could start over on the list again.

What actually happened was more interesting. First off, a number of people from the company where I work, Lectrosonics, Inc., came to hear us. Each of us had family members there. So in essence, we drew our own audience and thus patrons of the restraunt. Without our audience, it would have been a slow night at the Smokehouse!

But more importantly, what we noticed is that once people arrived, they stayed for quite a while. Some people who arrived fairly early actually stayed for more than an hour. Some even stayed right up until the end of our performance! Also, we specifically chose a wide variety of material so that we would appeal to a range of tastes. What surprised me was the strong positive reception towards the classical material. Not just favorites like Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, but more obscure stuff like the finale from Beethoven Op. 18 #2, or the Minuet from Beethoven's Septet. The moment where I was most struck, however, was when we played the Tchaikovsky Andante Cantabile from his Op. 11 string quartet. It's a quiet piece, and fairly delicate. After we got started, I noticed that the room became quieter as people began listening. Towards the end, where it is like a lullaby and a baby's heart beating, I could hear the hush over the room. It was an eerie feeling, but I was appreciative of the fact that these patrons were really paying attention and enjoying this music.

So much for getting what you expect! I think the variety of music kept a lot of the audience interested, but my faith in classical music was again bolstered because it seems to come down to this: people enjoy good music. Perhaps the audience was skewed because we knew a lot of them. But nevertheless, the effects of the music on the patrons was unmistakable. It reminds me of when I lectured at West Virginia University in Morgantown at the behest of my aunt, Kathleen McNerney. She had asked me to talk to her students about music, since whenever I visited her I would wax poetic on the subject. I think I lectured two different times and was met with a strong positive reaction both times. The main point of my lecture was "musical imagery" in that classical music ties directly into our emotions. Even students who claimed that they "did not listen to classical music" came up with very interesting interpretations of Bach, Rachmanninoff, and Berlioz.

Just writing these ideas gets me to think about looking for avenues to teach again. Something in me compells me to try to find ways to impart the things I've learned, believed in and wish to share. There is very little time in my schedule right now for such an undertaking, but if the opportunity arose, I would want to find a way.

That's all for today.

The Old Violin

2005-11-05T23:18:00.000-08:00

What songs do you have, worn into the very grain of your wood? Who's soft hands have caressed you over the decades - coaxed sweet sound from your strings? Maybe you've propeled people to dance, or entertained the family in a warm inviting home. Or perhaps you've even kept someone from lonliness by providing a willing partner for making soft music from the heart.

And what of the miles you've traveled, in your well-worn case? Starting out as trees - maple, spruce, ebony. Then under the skilled hands of the master craftsman you took form and were given a new kind of life. Perhaps somewhere in Germany or Austria? And while you made your long journey across miles and through time, wars were waged, lands were settled, cities were built, science discovered new things and governments rose and fell. And yet your function never wavered. When called upon, you made music!

After lying fallow and indeed in disrepair for these recent years, again a craftsman has restored your health, mended your wounds, and prepared you for the return to a life of music. And from the first few notes it is already clear you are ready, once again, to warm the hearts of willing partners and listeners alike.

Photo of the Old Violin

It's about time!

2005-10-21T15:22:00.000-07:00

Well, I've been meaning to do this for a while, and I'm preparing to re-launch my web site including a link to this blog. What will I write here? Just about anything that I feel is important or at least means something to me. I've got some ideas and as soon as they distill into something worth sharing I'll jot them down here.